Early presidential primary means many visits to Alabama by White House hopefuls
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Eye on Politics
Paul DeMarco
We have not even gotten to year end and states around the country are already fighting over who will hold the first presidential primaries.
This past week President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee made the first moves to strip Iowa of its first-in-the-nation primary status.
South Carolina would now come first and then New Hampshire, Nevada, Michigan, and Georgia would come next. Of course, Iowa and New Hampshire are not backing down yet and may not yield to their desire to be the first caucus and primaries.
Alabama is set to have its presidential primary on March 23, much earlier than the usual May or June primary dates of the past.
And while Alabama will not be one of the very first primaries, 2023 will see a lot of presidential candidates visit the state.
Whether President Biden decides to run again is still up in the air, but it appears the Republican Party will be a competitive affair now that former President Donald Trump has put his name back in the hat. Alabama could be seen as the kingmaker for those seeking the Republican nomination based on its place on the primary calendar.
Alabama is very conservative, along with being a solid Republican state. Thus, the state will be sought after as presidential hopefuls look to GOP voters to punch their ticket to the road to the White House. In 2016, Donald Trump made Alabama one of his first states to hold a rally that eventually propelled him to the presidency.
So, while we are still more than a year away, get ready for the next presidential election as candidates start making plans to travel to Alabama.
Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and can be found on Twitter at @Paul_DeMarco.